


After

by s_erin_dipity



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Angst, My First Fanfic, Post-Avengers: Infinity War Part 1 (Movie), Protective Tony Stark, So much angst, This hurt me to write, i'm sorry Mr. Stark, mostly peter and tony angst, natasha being soft, peter got sass
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-09
Updated: 2018-09-09
Packaged: 2019-07-10 05:07:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,407
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15942398
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/s_erin_dipity/pseuds/s_erin_dipity
Summary: Peter is struggling to cope with the aftermath of the final battle against Thanos, but the one person he needs isn't there.





	After

It had been six months since the funerals.

A large ceremony for Tony with a small service beforehand to honor Loki. Peter didn’t know the demi-god, but he went just the same, to recognize the bravery of Thor’s brother. He was standing with Cap and Sam, Bucky still being villainized by the public. Through the tears, he glimpsed all of the attendees walking into Tony’s wake, looking at the scrawny kid standing with the Avengers and wondering who he was. He didn’t give a shit.

Six months, and he could still see Tony lying there, his face more relaxed than Peter had ever seen. He could have been sleeping. The only reason Peter knew that wasn’t true was because Tony didn’t sleep when he was alive. He liked to avoid the nightmares as much as possible. Peter knew about the nightmares – both Tony’s and his own. He’d spent enough late nights at the Avengers’ compound to know when Tony was ignoring his exhaustion. And now Peter knows how it feels. Six months, and the nightmares have only gotten worse. They happen so frequently that he’s barely even affected by them any more. It’s the waking nightmares he has to be wary of. The ones where he doesn’t know where he is; if he’s back on Titan, back in the Void.

He doesn’t really remember much from the Void other than the feeling of darkness crushing him and nothingness pulling him apart. He had asked the others who were…dusted what they remember. None of them remember anything other than a sense of dread before being blown away. Mantis, the empath, remembers feeling overwhelming despair coming from everywhere, but that ended as soon as it started, and then she was ‘reconstructed’ on Titan with the rest. But Peter, he could see it, feel it, when he closed his eyes. In his dreams, he couldn’t tell the difference between a minute and an hour, a second and a year. The moments leading up to the snap were fuzzy, but what he remembered was played on repeat like a cruel echo. The only things he heard in that place were his final, empty apology to Tony and a low, resounding voice:

“I hope they remember you.”

Peter woke with a start, those last words still ringing through his mind. Gasping for air, he tried desperately to find any light in his dark bedroom. Not finding any, he scrambled off his bed and ripped open the curtains. He needed to feel the cool air on his face. Still in panic mode, he slammed the window open, and flung himself outside, barely managing to grab onto the outside wall of his apartment in his distress. He scaled up to the roof, lying down in the dirt to stare at the stars, trying to remind himself that they’re real. He watched the moon, wondering if its anything like Titan.

As he calmed down, Peter thought back to a time when he would have killed to travel to space. When he was at an age when every kid said they wanted to explore the great unknown. Peter knows better now. He knows that only pain and heartache are out there, and to search for it would inevitably be to lead it back home. The sudden feeling of hopelessness engulfed him, threatened to drown him. He’s so lonely in this new world. His mentor is dead – the only person he knew would understand the desperate suffering. New York, and maybe the world, needed Spider-man along with the remaining Avengers now more than ever, but Peter needed one person now more than ever. And he was gone. Just like that.

_The battle had been raging for what seemed like hours, but it was really only a few minutes. In an effort to bring back all those who had been killed in the snap, Tony and Cap had sacrificed themselves. They had drawn Thanos back to Titan to avoid collateral damage, and let the other Avengers distract him. This left them vulnerable while attempting to break the Soul Stone. The subsequent fallout was catastrophic. Cap, with his genetically enhanced healing capabilities, was injured badly, but able to fight. But, Tony. Tony was thrown from the site, landing near some wreckage being ravaged by fire. Peter reappeared just as Tony hit the ground, his agonizing scream drawing Peter’s attention. Without stopping to think about what the fuck just happened, the kid sprinted toward Tony. His heart stopped as he approached, the scene almost too much for the seventeen year old. Tony was damaged beyond repair. One of his hands was burned so badly, it no longer looked like a hand. A cut ran across his brow down the right side of his face and stopped at his collarbone. It looked like there were three holes in his torso, but there was enough blood for there to be ten. From the way Tony was coughing up dark globs, Peter figured he had at least one punctured lung and extensive internal bleeding. He needed to get Tony to help, but there was no way he would be able to walk when part of his femur was sticking out of his leg. Somehow, the man was still awake. Tony reached into his suit with his good hand and pulled out what looked like a mobile blow torch. As soon as Peter realized what he was about to do, Tony told him to turn around and get back to the fight. He would be fine. It would be fine. The last thing Peter saw before launching headfirst into the violence was Tony managing to cauterize his wounds and immediately passing out. At least he’s a safe distance away, Peter thought. Then he entered the fray._

Peter was ripped from the memory as he retched over the side of the roof. His body desperately tried to expel anything in his body, but there was nothing. Peter barely ate anymore, because he could never hold it down. His constant flashbacks and panic attacks render meals pointless. He only really tries anymore when he notices Ned or Aunt May giving him that look that he hates. He tries to ignore the pitying and cautious looks, but it’s the ones where they look like he’s broken, like a china doll with a crack and a missing piece. He knows they’re not exactly wrong, but he’s trying. Or pretending, At this point, he can’t really tell the difference.

When his stomach had calmed down, Peter pulled on the mask to his suit, which he’d taken to sleeping in after a nightmare caused him to swing into the street as Peter Parker. He needed to get out of Brooklyn for a little bit.

•••

Standing in the foyer of the Avengers compound, Peter couldn’t help but remember the first time he had seen the suit he was wearing at that moment.

 _“Was that a test?”_ How naïve.

The alcove that had held the iron spider was now mockingly bare, with no new Stark gadgets to display. In fact, the entire compound seemed haunted with the memories of the first time he was here. The hallways echoed in a way that told him no one had set foot on the grounds in a while. Of course, he knew this anyway. The Avengers had scattered, fucked off to whatever place they thought they could help – and could help them. They resurfaced here and there every so often to remind the world that they were still there, and not licking their wounds. No one would blame them if they were, though. The whole world at this point was one large wound, scarred by the events of the Infinity War. The emptiness of the compound only served as a stark reminder of what the team had lost. Peter moved on quickly.

He wandered the grounds with no destination in mind. He came across the PT facility, a vestige to the fallout of Peter’s first battle with the Avengers – and against them. He had been so excited, giddy even, and now, two years later he can’t imagine having that kind of enthusiasm for anything anymore, even Spider-Man. He’s seen first hand the consequences of the superhero world and knows all too well what they can do to a person, physically and mentally, human or enhanced. He stared at the room for another second before turning around and walking out. Peter wondered where Rhodey was now. Tony’s best friend hadn’t been heard from in months.

On a whim, Peter called out to Friday.

“Hello, Peter. How are you?” the A.I.’s voice rang out.

“I uh – yeah, fine. Friday can y-“ Peter started.

“My readings indicate you are in distress, Peter.”

“I’m fine, Friday. Can you just tell me where Mr. Stark’s lab is?” Her soft Celtic lilt was honestly calming to Peter. He felt comfort in knowing that a part of Tony was still watching over the place.

“Of course, Peter. It’s in the East Wing, down the stairs, on the right.”

“Thanks, Friday.” Peter started to walk away, then added as an after thought, “Oh, and by the way, you may want to bump up security. I got in here way too easily.”

“Thank you, Peter, but Ms. Romanoff requested minimal surveillance and defense when she’s at the compound for easier mobility.” Peter halted at these words.

“What did you say?”

“I said thank you, but Ms. Romanoff –“

“Yeah no, I heard what you said. She- what? Nat- Black Widow is here?”

“Of course, she’s in the observatory. Would you like me to tell her you’re here?”

“No, its okay. Thanks, Friday.” Peter didn’t mention the fact that he had a hunch Natasha Romanoff, ex KGB spy and ultimate badass already knew he was here. _Guess I’m heading to the observatory._

•••

Peter decided the best way to approach a murderous spy is as conspicuously as possible, so he opened a window, crawled around the side of the building, then up onto the floor-to-ceiling windows of the observatory, before opening a hatch in the roof and dropping down gently next to a waiting Black Widow.

“Well, if it isn’t the spiderling. What did Tony call you…Underoos?” Nat said without turning her attention away from the file in front of her.

“As if you didn’t know as soon as I came within a mile of this place. And don’t call me that.” As scared as Peter may be of Natasha, he nearly spat the last part.

Natasha cocked her head, her sideways gaze on Peter as unwavering as her deadly namesake. This wasn’t the timid kid she remembered from Germany. “Alright, Spider-Man,” she corrected. “What sends a sixteen year old boy from Brooklyn upstate at two am on a Wednesday morning? How long ya been here?”

Peter knew that he probably should have watched his tongue, but he was too tired for politeness. “One: I’m seventeen. Two: I’m from Queens, the Captain is from Brooklyn and I think you know that. Three: Am I supposed to pretend that you aren’t supposedly in Bulgaria right now? Why does it matter why I’m here?”

The spy was silent, her expression impassive as she stared at him. Peter’s face drained of all color with each passing moment. Finally Nat spoke up, “As much as we’ve been through together, we haven’t been formally introduced. I’m Nat.”

“Peter. It- er, nice to meet you…” he trailed off at the awkwardness it seemed only he felt. Peter took this time to regard her. He took in her gray leggings and purple sweater and realized with a start that this was the first time he had seen her wearing something other black.

Natasha smiled and Peter let out a breath of relief. “But seriously, what are you doing here? Aren’t you still in school?”

“Yeah, I just, I couldn’t sleep. Needed a break from the city. Figured I’d come up here, hang out in the lab, maybe work on some updates to the suit.”

“Tony told me you were smart, didn’t realize he meant you were on par with him.”

“Oh, God no, no, I’m not. Just, it’s good to know exactly how everything works if I’m gonna rely on it, ya know? Turns out I’m good with physics and biomechanics. But, I’m not Mr. Stark. He’s- Mr. Stark is on a whole other level.” Peter was rambling so fast he only heard his mistake once he was done and had taken a breath “Was.”

“What’s that?” Nat asked.

“Was. Mr. Stark was on a whole other level.”

The room was silent for a minute while Nat watched Peter walk to the windows and sit down, leaning his head back against the glass, eyes closed. When the silence got too heavy, the kid opened his eyes and realized with a shock that Nat wanted to say something, but seemed at a loss for words.

“Can I ask you something, Peter?” Nat finally said. When Peter nodded, she continued. “I heard that after, you asked some of the others who were… you know… what they felt, what it was like for them. Why? Was it different for you?”

Peter looked at her solemnly until he couldn’t meet her penetrating stare anymore and he shifted his gaze to the left. After about two minutes he spoke: “From what I can tell, yeah. I don’t know if everyone had the same experience as me and just forget, or if they, like, I don’t know, basically just disappeared and reappeared. But only Mantis felt anything, and it was only at the beginning. I think its my spidey-senses - I have super heightened senses, like, I can sense danger and fear, whenever something is fundamentally wrong, that kinda thing. And something was definitely wrong when…. you know.”

Natasha seemed to regard him differently after this bit of information. “Can I… Do you mind if I ask… what it felt like?”

He wasn’t sure why he answered. Maybe it was because that’s the first time Black Widow had ever been hesitant. But, whatever it was, he did answer. “Mantis is an empath, I guess, and she said she felt the emotions of everyone disappearing, all the confusion and sadness. I kind of did too, but it was more the primal fear and desperation. Need for survival. Again my senses are more animal-based. But, then after the initial… whatever… it was like…” Peter’s voice faded as his eyes glazed over. This was the first time he had recounted what happened. “It was like a void. I really can’t explain it. I think I remember all of it, but it was like time was messed up. I don’t know if my memories are of seconds, or hours, or even months. And it wasn’t white or black … it just…. There was no reference point. I don’t think I was in a place where time or space existed. I can’t…” Peter choked off. He stood up and started pacing, manically running his hand through his hair. When he eventually looked over at Nat again, she had a pitying expression on her face. That was why Peter never told anyone about it. They either pitied him or were confused. Either way, they didn’t get it. “Anyway, its not something I like talking about. It’s a lot…I- like I said, I couldn’t sleep.” He dropped his hands and turned his back. “I’m gonna head down to the lab for a few hours.”

As Peter walked away, Nat responded, ‘Okay, I’ll be training. If you need anything, ask Friday. She’ll know where I am.” Peter just waved with the back of his hand and headed to the East Wing, not really listening.

•••

After about an hour of running diagnostic after diagnostic on the suit, Peter threw it on the table in frustration. If he’s being honest, there’s nothing more that he can do to it, short of making his own. He’d already adjusted the flexibility and durability of the joint padding and wings to account for the muscle weight he’d put on in the last few months, as well as adding additional material to the ankles and wrists to protect the two inches he’d grown.

Peter figured that if Tony had been working on a new innovation for fight or flight, he would test it out on his own suit first. He liked to be the guinea pig testing out his new toys. As he wandered over to the wall of Iron Men, he thought about the nanotech Tony implemented in one of the suits. The one he died in. Since it was his last stroke of genius, Peter wanted to make sure it remained useful. Tony would have thrown a fit if he knew one of his ideas wasn’t a bastion of strength and purpose. Peter found the suit, or what was left of it, near the bay window where Rhodey had left it six months ago. From the way the helmet was turned, Tony could have been in the suit, staring over the expanse of trees behind the compound. But the gaping hole on the side and the arm missing made it evident that no one was in it. And that no one ever would be.

After taking the suit to one of the work tables, Peter broke open the panel covering the mainframe circuits and connected it to the computer in front of him. He asked Friday to bypass the firewalls, and, to his surprise, she did without a word. He searched through the mountain of coding to find the nanotech information when he stumbled across a file. It wasn’t encoded into the suit, but seemed to be dumped using elementary level software. When he opened it, the whole computer screen went black and the lights in the lab dimmed. A whirring sound above Peter’s head alerted him to the overhead projector turning on. As he looked around to figure out what was going on, he heard a grainy but familiar voice.

“I’m sorry, Earth is closed today!” Peter whipped around at the sound. On the wall was the scene in Lower Manhattan, the Maw standing under the imposing shadow of his ship. But Peter couldn’t figure out where the speaker was. While he tried to figure out what he was watching, he heard more muffled voices in the background. Then:

“He’s saying get lost, Squidward.” Peter gasped. He was watching the events unfold from Tony’s perspective. The data was severely damaged, but it was all there. As Peter watched Tony tell Bruce to stand down, then launch head first into battle, he felt his throat close.

The video skipped a few times and the next thing Peter knew, he was watching himself jump in front of the alien and stop the weapon from crushing Tony. His eyes were already watering, but when he heard Tony invite Wong to his and Pepper’s wedding, he let out a strangled moan.

The kid was rooted to the spot, his knees locked, and his hands gripping the table so hard, his knuckles turned white. He watched without moving, sometimes closing his eyes when it was too much to remember, but never turning it off or leaving. The data was so scrambled that only a few minutes of the clip were played at a time before it skipped, sometimes to hours or days later. Peter only got bits and pieces, but he was starting to grasp the full scope of how long he was… gone. Tears streamed down his face, yet he remained frozen.

Until the video landed on the scene that haunted his nightmares the most. As the screen showed a blood-stained sky, the only movement licks of fire or ash blowing in the breeze, he was transported back to the day when it all came crashing down. Based on the stability of the filming, and the clangs and cries in the background, he knew Tony was still passed out. Peter knew exactly what happened next – he relived it almost every night – but he still couldn’t move, couldn’t tear his eyes away from the screen. But in his mind, a different perspective was forcing its way to the front.

_With Tony unconscious, but out of harm’s way, Peter launched attack after attack on Thanos, barely stopping to notice the others’ strategies. Within minutes, he was tired, but a pattern developed and the Avengers and Guardians were able to play off each others talents. Dr. Strange would open a portal Peter could swing through, Cap would use his shield to launch Nat into the air, Quill would fly as O’koye held on, using the momentum to launch her spear. Even though the team was quickly tiring, they were all melding into one cohesive unit. Peter only had a moment to marvel at it before Thanos directed his attention at Cap. Using all of his brute strength, Thanos slammed the soldier into the dirt, using his foot to hold him there. Under normal circumstances, Steve would have been able to reverse the situation, but Peter had seen the state of Tony and knew that only enhanced abilities were keeping Steve on his feet. He was barely in any shape to fight, let alone fight a titan off of him. Without thinking, Peter shot a web at the infinity gauntlet, using the momentum to swing around and kick Thanos in the face. The titan stumbled back, more out of surprise than anything else. This gave Cap enough time to retreat, but also landed the full attention of the villain on Peter. Before he could say “Fuck me,” the teenager had to dodge a blast of power directed at him. He and Thanos began a game of cat and mouse. Peter swung and weaved around the landscape, drawing Thanos away, giving the rest of the team time to regroup. After a few minutes of this Peter was obviously slowing down, but Thanos barely seemed affected. Frantically grasping at ideas, Peter heard a moan come from his right. Tony was moving slightly, most likely waking up. The split second Peter’s attention was diverted granted Thanos the time to feign to the left and come down on Spider-Man’s leg with a piece of scrap metal from the right._

As Peter saw this scene unfold in his mind, he heard his scream from the video playing in front of him. From the way he fell after the blow, he hadn’t been able to see anything but Thanos, but the video showed Tony sit upright at the sound of Peter’s agony. All he could do at this moment, watching his worst nightmare, was whimper. Thanos spoke in the video, and it dragged him back, deep into his own mind.

_Peter fell to his knees as his voice broke and went silent. He looked up only to see Thanos advancing on him with a smirk. The kid sat back and tried to drag himself away. He could barely speak, barely breathe the pain was so much, but he called for help anyway._

_“Cap! Quill! Help- fuck- help me!” His back hit a rock and he knew he was trapped. His leg was useless, and Thanos had broken one of the web-shooters minutes before. “Guys! I’m hurt, I can’t- fuck.” His voice was fading from strain and he knew he had drawn Thanos too far away from the others. They wouldn’t reach him in time._

 _Thanos was steps away now and Peter’s mind went quiet. As the titan raised his makeshift sword, the young superhero made quick peace with what was about to happen. He had already died once, how much worse could it be to die a second time. Peter closed his eyes as Thanos brought the weapon down, but he never felt the final blow. He opened his eyes to see Tony, kneeling with his back to Peter, a shard of steel sticking through his shoulder blade._

Again, Peter’s bloodcurdling scream brought him out of the waking nightmare, but he could still feel the blood that coated his throat from the force. As he resurfaced, he realized that the blood wasn’t a memory, and he really was screaming. He was living through this torture again, and he could no longer separate memory from reality.

_Tony slumped over with an agonized groan. He was still breathing. All Peter cared about was that he was breathing. He patched up his leg with webs and launched another attack at Thanos with fervor._

Natasha ran into the lab just as Peter stopped screaming. She took one look at the video and knew Peter was in his own personal hell.

_He was moving so fast, acting on pure adrenaline, that all he knew was the purple monster standing under the red sky._

The red-headed spy skidded to a halt as Peter threw himself at her, almost catching the sleeve of her purple sweater.

“Kid! KID! What are you doing?”

_Thanos laughed, “You are but a human child. You are no match for me. Yield!” Peter vaulted over a ship’s wing faster than humanly possible and landed a kick squarely in Thanos’ chest._

“Peter, stop! I don’t want to hurt you!” Nat ducked as Peter flew past her head, narrowly avoiding a foot to the face. When he tried to catch himself with webs and failed to realize he wasn’t wearing his suit, Natasha understood. Peter was back on Titan, and he was at war.

_Thanos stumbled back at the same time that Nebula, Thor, and Steve arrived. Peter kept barraging the titan with tangled webs and scattered debris, throwing anything nearby at him._

Peter threw a desk at Nat, and she had to scramble out of the way of being crushed. This was no longer a time for gentleness. “Alright, kid. I’m sorry about this.”

_Steve launched his shield at Thanos’ knees, drawing him to the ground. Thor called to the sky for lightning, and Peter webbed up the gauntlet to stop the monster from using his powers while he slowly stood up. Nebula, approached gradually, deliberately, eyeing Thanos like a cat stares down a meal._

Natasha crept towards Peter, trying not to startle him. He tried to hurtle over her head, but she spun and placed a vertical kick to his abdomen. He stumbled on his landing, his breathing labored. When he paused, Natasha could see the savagery in his eyes. It was like the first time she had seen Bucky’s face. It wasn’t Bucky, and this isn’t Peter.

_When Thor brought down Stormbreaker, the fire that rained from the sky was like their own personal apocalypse. It was all Peter could do to land on his feet after being blown backwards. Thor was still standing over Thanos, now on both knees, his right hand propping him up. The whole area was a smoking crater, and Nebula waded through the debris like it was water. Only Peter seemed to notice that the webbing on the gauntlet had disintegrated in the lightning._

Nat jabbed her left fist at the kid’s head, but he caught it mere inches from his face. He dropped to the ground and swung a leg out toward her feet. Nat cartwheeled away and launched onto the desk. She squatted while Peter straightened so they were at eyelevel. He charged, feigning right, then kicking the bottom of the desk, sending the spy straight into his fist.

_Nebula picked up into a run as Thanos started to raise his open hand. NO! Peter screamed and swung towards him, only to get a laser in the chest. He landed on his back with a crack, but the split-second distraction allowed Nebula to get inside the monster’s defenses with an uppercut, laying him out._

Without cataloguing what would definitely become a black eye, Nat vaulted onto Peter’s shoulders, twisted to his front, and used the momentum to flip him. He landed in front of the projector with the air knocked out of him.

_Peter sat up in time to see Quill and Cap pin the gauntlet on the ground while Nebula kneeled on Thanos’ neck, tears streaming down her face. “I hope to see you in the next life, Father,” she spat, drawing her sword. “Because I will never let you rest. You will suffer by my hand as I did by yours.” She brought the sword down across his neck with a metallic shriek._

The android’s screams brought Peter, gasping, back to reality one final time. On the screen, he could see himself limp pathetically over to Tony. He half falls, half kneels at Tony’s side, clearly weeping. Tony’s bloody hand can be seen reaching up and grasping Peter’s own. Peter remembered the state of him. He was on his side, the shard of metal still in his torso. The light of the arc reactor was slowly dimming, and Tony’s breathing was growing more shallow.

Unable to look at the video anymore, Peter turned his eyes towards the ceiling, but he could still see Tony’s broken face above his own. It was a scene he saw every time he closed his eyes.

_I’m sorry._

“I’m so sorry, Mr. Stark.”

But this time Peter didn’t blow away. From the video, he could still hear Tony’s last words, but he watched him speak from above.

“You did good, kid. You were better.”

With the sound of his last breath, Peter’s hallucination of Tony faded into nothing. 

“Kid, are you good? Feeling better?” Peter opened his eyes after a minute. He looked to the side to see Nat sitting on the floor, propped up against the overturned desk. He sat up with a groan.

“I- I am so, Nat- er, Black Widow. I’m so sorry.”

“Don’t worry about it. Better sparring than I would‘ve gotten in the training room anyway.” She smiled slightly. The wrinkles around her eyes accentuated the black eye.

They both turned back to the projector screen, which was paused on the red sky of Titan. After a moment, Peter spoke.

“I can’t carry that weight, ya know? I don’t know h- how do you do it?”

“I think we all find our reasons, what puts it into perspective. If I’m being honest, Tony – he was an ass, don’t get me wrong.” She gave a low chuckle. “But he cared about everyone. He shouldered most of the burden. He would have carried the world on his shoulders if he needed to, and sometimes he came damn near close. I think after Cap and I, with Bucky- and Rhodey… he started to lose it a bit. He had no one to lean on. And yeah, the Socovia Accords helped, all that regulated heroism. But then you came along. He tested you out in Germany, but I think he already knew your mettle. And you gave him back the part of this job that he loved. He didn’t just want to save the world. He wanted to make sure it was a good place. You helped with that.”

With that, Peter nodded and stood up to clean, the spy at his side. Looking at all of Tony’s inventions, he could see both parts of the man. The façade he would always put up – it only fooled the public. Down here in this lab, Peter could see every instrument and tool– technically weapons, yes, but each a facet of peace. Made to defend the people. He cared and he tried so much, too much. And he kept going, time after time. Tony didn’t have powers. He only had his mind, and when that failed him, he put up a front and moved on. He wasn’t a soldier, and neither was Peter. One was a sarcastic asshole with a heart of gold and the other, well the other was just a kid. But they helped people. They helped each other. Tony helped Peter – he saved Peter – and now Peter was meant to keep going.

When they had finished tidying their mini battleground, Nat started to leave.

“You coming?”

“Nah, you go ahead. I just want to work on the suit. I think Tony still had some ideas.” Peter moved to his original seat in front of his suit. He heard Nat take two steps and then stop again.

“What did he mean, ‘you were better?’”

Peter shook his head slightly. “Mr. Stark didn’t know how much he meant to people. How much he did for them.”

He smiled as he turned to the table. He had work to do.

**Author's Note:**

> So this is the first fic I've ever written. I posted it on my small tumblr account and it got decent feedback, so I might keep writing. I have a few more fic ideas. If you like this please let me know because I'm still wary about posting my stuff.


End file.
